The invention relates to an apparatus for transmitting a blank of absorbent material, particularly fiber material, for the manufacture of tampons, particularly for feminine hygiene, to a tampon press.
Starting material for the manufacture of such tampons is usually a cotton fleece which, after leaving a carding machine, is divided into small short webs and rolled up first to loose rolls. These rolls, which approximately have the length of the finished tampon, are subsequently radially pressed together to a smaller diameter and, if necessary, subjected to an axial compression. As required, the cotton fleece sections can be provided with a withdrawl cord before being rolled up.
An apparatus of the type mentioned above is known from German Pat. No. 21 14 530. The bearing surface associated to the transmitting device for the tampon blank consists of a shaping jaw which is movable up and down and by means of which the blank is raised to the position for transmission into the tampon press in simultaneously being pre-shaped before the blank is inserted into the tampon press by means of a mandrel and is, after having been pressed to a tampon, ejected at the other side of the press by an ejector mandrel.
From German Pat. No. 22 53 180, there is known an apparatus for fixing the free end of a withdrawal cord at a tampon wadding roll, wherein, before the rolling up of the strip of nonwoven material starts, the free end of the withdrawal cord is sucked into the position pointing away from the strip of nonwoven material and the suction effect is maintained during the winding procedure. The withdrawal cord is pulled out of its holder when the roll is transported onwards to an applying station for the withdrawal cord, where the withdrawal cord is sucked into a cylinder and then pressed onto the end face of the roll in a random position. The apparatus consists of a cylinder housing, the cylinder opening of which is disposed coaxially opposite each of the cylindrical blanks and receives a piston-type slide valve which is provided with perforations, it being possible to connect the cylinder to a source of suction air. On the side of the roll facing away from the cylinder housing, there is provided a stop face for said cylinder housing.
According to German Pat. No. 915,382, a withdrawal cord is brought into a vertical position to a cotton fleece guided through a slot of a winding mandrel and is stripped over said winding mandrel by two sliders, wherein, after the fleece has been rolled to a tampon, the projecting ends of the withdrawal cord wound around the mandrel, are pressed against the end of the blank by a stripper.